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Sudan Tribune

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Sacked S. Sudan relief boss refutes corruption allegations

June 12, 2012 (JUBA) – Duer Tut Duel, the former chairperson of South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) on Tuesday said he does not regret being sacked by the President, denying
allegations that his removal was linked to corruption.

South Sudan president, Salva Kiir, in a decree issued on Thursday last week relieved Duel from his position as head of SSRRC, replacing him with Peter Lam Both, formerly Upper Nile’s state’s information and broadcasting minister.

In the decree, the President does justify the replacement of the ex-SSRRC boss, who has been at the helm since November 2011.

When contacted by Sudan Tribune on Tuesday, Duel said he was proud of his “achievements” during his tenure, and thanked Kiir for having granted him the opportunity to serve the nation.

“By the time I took over as chairperson of SSRRC, there were numerous challenges. For instance, we had over 48,000 South Sudanese who were stranded in Kosti and almost a similar number in other parts of
Khartoum. Some even needed to be repatriated from Egypt,” said Duel.

“But I am glad that the day I was relieved of my duties was when IOM [International Organization of Migration] announced it had completed [airlifting all sic] southerners from Sudan. That was an achievement for us,” he added.

The former SSRRC boss also welcomed his successor, and urged him to pick up from where he stopped as the government-owned body strives to fulfil its function to coordinate the relief, repatriation, rehabilitation, resettlement and reintegration of returnees.

SSRRC also coordinates reconstruction efforts by the South Sudan government, United Nations and other agencies as well as handling risk reduction management.

South Sudan, last month convened a meeting to discuss strategic relief plans in an attempt to respond to mounting food security challenges.

The UN estimates that at least 4.7 million South Sudanese remain food insecure this year alone, with nearly one million of them at risk of facing severe hunger less than a year since it attained independence under a 2005 peace deal with Sudan.

Currently, Jonglei, Upper Nile, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Unity states have been earmarked as the most food insecure regions in the country, where food prices have either doubled or tripled in recent months.

(ST)

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